Turel Meresin
A foreign noble corrupted by forbidden magics and wielding demonic powers. Turel Meresin Age: 75 (appears 21) Race: Human (bound Pride Demon) Personality: '''Turel's defining vice was pride when he was mortal, and his link to a Demon of Pride has only accentuated it effects. To most, he projects an aura of unshakable calm and confidence, his arrogance tempered by a rapier wit and stunning acts of generosity. These are, of course, a front intended to purchase good will on Turel's behalf. He regards the common man as he would an ant, as beneath his notice unless in the possession of something he values. The exceptional draw far more of his attention, but even then they are resources to be drawn upon, nothing more. While this is largely a result of his pride, it also stems from Turel's failure to protect Kara, the pain of which forces him to be emotionally distant. Were he to find someone worthy of his affections or his trust, he would likely make an unwavering ally, their well being coming under the blanket of his obsessive self worth. Turel currently seeks nothing more than a safe haven in which he can explore his corrupted nature further, as hints of more potent powers have haunted his dreams. However, were he to feel sufficiently secure it is likely he would attempt to expand his power, his ambition let loose from its cage. '''History: Turel Meresin was born Turel Andiam, son of a wealthy and influential merchant family in the southern kingdom of Wraen. A naturally gifted child, Turel displayed a mastery of a number of subjects early in life, even exhibiting some magical potential. Overjoyed at the though of a magically talented heir, Turel's father managed, at great cost, to procure an apprenticeship with the Archmage Gethem Yaris in the capitol city of Aenara. Turel was sent to live with the elder mage when he was fifteen, unprepared for what awaited him. At Gethem's estate, Turel found a new world of academic challenge and magical experimentation, but the greatest discovery awaiting him was Gethem's ward, Kara. Over a tempestuous two month affair, the two young mages fell deeply in love, and though Gethem attempted to put an end to it he eventually gave his blessing. When they graduated, Turel and Kara looked forward to an idyllic life together. That is, until Turel's father arrived with word of an arranged marriage for his son. When the Andiam patriarch found out about his son's intent to marry Kara, he confronted her, accusing her of seducing his son. Distraught, she left the estate in tears, eventually finding herself in the old port of Aenara. Trying to find her way home, Kara was set upon in the streets of Aenara by a pack of thieves. Stripping her of everything she had, they proceeded to brutalize and murder her. When her body was found floating in Aenara's canals, half eaten by fish, Turel went mad. Disregarding the comforting words of his friends and family, he dove into the Aenaran underworld, determined to root out the gang that murdered Kara. However, while his magical skills and his family's name allowed him to eventually discover the identity of the brigands, Turel's rage and pride goaded into confronting them in their hideout alone. Though he fought bravely, the experienced criminals quickly overcame his minor magics and subdued him. It was then that Turel learned the horrible truth, that the thieves he'd been hunting had long ago given in to the maelific temptations of the nether realms and transformed into Demons of Greed. Not content to simply kill Turel, the demon gang held him for days, slowly torturing him, pelting him with questions about the nobility of Aenara, about his father's holdings, and about Gethem's powers. The demons wanted it all, and so long as they thought him capable of helping him they kept Turel alive, trapped in a cramped black cell, his body rent by rusty knives and branded with fire, his arms and legs broken repeatedly, filth and starvation slowly devouring him. But despite it all, Turel never gave in to the demons, never submitted to their will, and so after a week they decided to end it. Dragging his broken body from their underground lair, they dumped him in one of the many canals, expecting him to drown and trouble them no more. But Turel fought, determined not to be defeated, and managed to drag himself, screaming in agony, into Aenara's fish market, where he was quickly discovered by his father's mercenaries. It took Turel years to recover from his ordeal, the finest doctors in the city only able to do so much for injuries that had gone so long untended. His body was constantly wracked by fevers, and his broken limbs healed into misshaped, knobby wrecks. In one week, the vibrant scion of house Andiam had become an old man, and his fearful temper at his condition was legendary in his father's house. But even in the fog of pain and failure, Turel never forgot the slight paid on him by the demons. His failure to avenge his love ate at Turel's mind until he could take it no longer. Venturing into the dark places of Aenara once again, he sought out forbidden magical texts, ancient secrets outlawed by society for millenia. He studied those black arts, and eventually struck upon a way to regain his shattered pride and avenge his lost love - he would bind his soul with that of a Demon of Pride, most powerful and demanding of the fiendish hierarchy. For months, Turel gathered the necessary ingredients, with a single truth looming at the back of his mind. For ancient magics carried a price, and the binding of so mighty a spirit as a Demon of Pride would require the blood of a family member. Finally, the night arrived when Turel's preparations were complete and he hobbled into his father's study. Whispering Kara's name, he slit his father's throat and dragged his warm corpse into Turel's workshop, where the summoning circle had been prepared. Anointing himself with rare herbs and the black blood of his sire, he summoned the demon and forced it into his own body, dissolving its soul into his, until demon and human were inseparable. The ritual restored Turel's body and greatly enhanced his magical powers at the cost of his sanity, and he set upon his quarry with a fiery passion. The Demons of Greed had been far too much for a simple apprentice mage, but against the full force of a far superior demon they scattered like chaff, struck down by the terrible magics that Turel let rage out of control. An entire district of Aenara was lost that night in a maelstrom of fiendish power, and when it was over Turel was gone, abandoning his family name and taking with him a vast quantity of his inheritance, leaving the rest to burn. Over the next few decades, Turel hid at the periphery of society, using his wealth to buy the privacy and comfort he required. However, the demonic corruption in his soul was not satisfied with the life of a recluse, and as his funds waned he realized he needed a plan. Contacting a failing Merchant Company, Turel offered to finance them in return for control, and they accepted gladly. Using his noble education and demonic charm, Turel infiltrated the noble house of Drael, goading them into instigating the War of Three Chimeras. Turel's Merchant Company was poised to provide the house with arms, and grew fat off the spoils of a twenty year war while Turel spent more time honing his abilities. When the war ended, the Crimson Circle disbanded on Turel's order and he disappeared. Spending the next few decades seeking out the legendary Codex Maleficarum, Turel eventually made his way to the city of Bastion. There, he and the Shadow Court regrouped in preparation for their next move - claiming the Codex that had been hidden in the city's university. However, in the midst of his plotting Turel became smitten with a local noblewoman, one Elizabeth Falaeth. Paying no heed to her husband or her pirate lover, Turel set out to woo the first woman to attract his interest in nigh on fifty years, treating her with equal attention as the coveted Codex itself. Ironically, the artifact that had been locked away for millenia proved easier to attain than a woman's heart, and he claimed the Codex just in time to unleash its powers on a pirate armada that had blockaded the city. This act of arcane might nearly killed him, but it granted his alter ego the Shadow King sufficient reputation to seize control of the city's underworld. With control came greater wealth, with which Turel purchased recognition in Bastion's court, as well as the admiration of the public for a number of charitable endeavors. Behind the scenes, he set to researching the Codex, determined not to repeat its near-fatal first use, and drew ever closer to claiming Elizabeth's heart when her pirate lover disappeared. These plans were disrupted slightly when Elizabeth's husband, dirven mad by the loss of a number of businesses to Turel and suspecting his interest in the lady Falaeth, sent a number of assassins to remove him - permanently. Though well trained, the assassins were ill prepared for the true power of the Shadow Court, and Turel responded by taking bloody, fatal vengeance upon the Marquis. All seemed to be going well for Turel, only for Elizabeth's pirate to return from his long absence. Though his hooks remained in her, Elizabeth's devotion remained with the Stray, and so Turel set to undoing him. Through the Uathag invasion and the Vivexian incident he waited, plotting his move with all the resources at his disposal, until word came that Elizabeth was with child. Then, he struck, abducting the pirate and sealing him in the deepest cell of Bastion Castle. Naturally, Elizabeth turned to the only other man she trusted, and in her grief it was a simple thing to sabotage the preagnancy. The loss of the child shattered her, all to plan, and in her moment of weakness Turel used his hard-won experience with the Codex to make her the ideal Empress for his approaching dominion. But then, disaster! Turel had been so focused on his ambitions that he'd failed to notice the multitude of forces gathering against him at the edges of society. Without warning, he was assailed, and for weeks war raged in the streets of Bastion between those ensnared by his influence and those determined to purge the taint of the Nether from the city. Eventually, pursued by incarnate gods, archmages, and the last of the demon hunters, Turel fled, using the Codex to fling him and his dark retinue through the veil of reality to emerge in a land wholly unprepared for his arrival. Advantages: Intelligent I (Common): ''' '''Cunning I (Common): Charm II (Uncommon): A student of several royal courts, Turel is more than capable at presenting a personable facade to the world at large. More than that though, Turel is an expert at pulling people's strings. While this requires a degree of study of the subject, either before or during an encounter, it provides exceptional advantages when attempting to convince or cajole someone down a specific path. Soul Drain I (Common): With the touch of his hands, Turel can devour the very souls of his enemies, taking them into himself. In combat, the ability is relegated to quick strikes that cause tortuous pain as a person's soul is literally torn, granting Turel only the briefest flash of a person's spirit. However, if he is able to maintain continued contact Turel can digest a soul wholesale, tearing the memories and experiences from the soul as he binds it to his will. In either case, a victim who succumbs to Soul Drain continues to live, in that their body functions until it succumbs to its environment, but the mind and motive force are irrevocably lost. Despite its rapacious nature, the touch is also capable of sharing memories, though it requires extreme concentration, and comes at the cost of great discomfort to the giver. Nether Sight I (Common): By virtue of his demonic nature, Turel has gained a second sight into the skein of the Nether. Where others simply see peoples' physical bodies, Turel sees souls as well, auras superimposed over their corporeal form. These visible spirits radiate emotions and experiences, allowing Turel a peerless ability to judge a person's true self and manipulate them accordingly. It also aids in distinguishing living beings when natural sight is impaired. Hellfire III (Uncommon): Summoned through a connection to the Nether, Hellfire is the physical manifestation of pure, negative force. Though it's most basic expression has the appearance of iridescent flame, it is composed of a pure malice that blazes far hotter and hungrier than mundane fire. The difference becomes clearer as the practitioner increases in experience, with a proper adept constraining the raw destructive force in crackling bands of malign will that give the appearance of a lightning storm within the heart of the flame. At the apex of mastery, the control and focus of the Hellfire is so great that it appears more liquid that flame, a writhing stream that radiates infernal heat and hatred in equal measure. Teleportation II (Common): '''Using his demonic nature to twist the Nether, Turel can jump instantaneously between locations. While this travel is instantaneous, it has several limits - not only must Turel have a clear mental picture of his destination, but at present he cannot jaunt more than one hundred feet without risking harm. The sole exception to this rule is in the case of a beacon in the Nether, a speacially prepared location that acts as guide to a spirit in transit. Such locations are difficult to establish, and require constant maintenance, but their utility is undeniable. '''Wealth I (Common):